Ok, I'll be the nay sayer here. Watch that you don't get a corresponding crack on the other side of the arch. That's what happened with me. I let it go and eventually the middle section was completely loose. The problem was, when I fired it would expand and the loose center section would slip slightly down. After many fires, this began to act as a wedge, slowly driving the arch and supporting opening walls out. Cracks developed in the side walls and they started to splay out. I had to rip out the whole entryway-vent structure and rebuild. I made the side walls much thicker this time and did a slow wet cure. Unfortunately,the crack has come again, but only on one side. Still, it make me nervous. If things get worse, Ill cut it out and remortor that section.

I believe that cracks in the arch are due to temp differential ie hot on inside and cold on outside. This problem can be reduced enormously by simply having a small gap between the outer arch and the inner parts of the oven. It can be an air gap or filled with vermicrete.It also has the advantage of keeping the outer arch cooler and therefore safer, to touch. The heat loss through conduction is also lowered.

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